Brothers in Arms
by WindowChild
Summary: A compilation of drabbles that map the friendship of Owen and Rod.
1. Third Grade

Rod was eight when he first met Owen Palmer. Up until the beginning of third grade, he had only been the slightly richer, slightly smarter boy next door. Then, by a miraculous twist of fate, Rod landed in the advanced class at their exclusive prep school. His parents had been proud; Rod had always been the scrawny, average little boy who could scarcely figure out how to use his magic.

"Can I sit here?" Rod asked shyly, disconcerted by the way the students already appeared to know one another.

"Sure," Owen replied, pulling out the chair beside him. "Is this your first day here?"

Rod blushed. "In this class, yeah. I've always lived here though."

Owen nodded. "I think I've seen you around." He smiled, " You live down the block from me. Well, are you excited for school?" Rod shrugged, he'd always been rather indifferent to academics. "I heard we're going to learn more magic this year," Owen replied excitedly.

"Really?" Rod asked, intrigued. "That should be cool."

Owen nodded, his serious face brightening with enthusiasm, "Definitely."

A little girl in a plaid skirt interrupted them. "Hi Owen," she said brightly, giving him a friendly wave. "How was your summer?"

Owen's face turned from pale to crimson, and he gave a hesitant shrug. "It was alright, how was yours?"

She gave a huge grin. "Oh, fine."

Rod opened his mouth, suddenly more confident. "Hi," he interrupted, "I'm Rod. It's nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand the way his parents had taught him too.

The girl took it with the tips of her fingers. "Um, hi. Well, bye Owen. See you at lunch."

Rod's face fell slightly. He thought she was cute. Owen grinned anxiously and hastily jumpstarted a conversation about magic practicality.

Despite this thorn in Rod's confidence, in addition to a dozen other trials of the first day, it was this moment that cemented their friendship. They balanced each other too well for it not to; Rod was all confidence and bravado, while Owen had everything Rod always wanted. It was practically fate that they be best friends or worst enemies.


	2. Fourth Grade

Fourth grade was significantly harder than third. They were expected to have mastered basic magic so that they could move on to more advanced work. However, this was easier said than done, and Rod found himself struggling through most of the assignments. In fact, Owen was the only person in the class who truly excelled at the curriculum.

"Can you tutor me?" Rod asked one day, desperate to catch up to his best friend.

Owen blushed, as he so often did when he detected he was being complimented. "I can try, if you want me to."

That Saturday they sat down in the Palmer's yard and practiced. Rod made up for his lack of skill by being a quick learner, and with Owen's help he soon became the second best in the class. It seemed that the title of 'best' would remain in Owen's modest hands.

"How do you do it?" Rod asked him.

"I'm not sure," Owen confessed, embarrassed. "I just like magic, is all."

This frustrated Rod. "I do too!" He complained, unintentionally snapping. "I work just as hard as you do."

Owen nodded reassuringly, "Of course you do."

"Then why –" the obvious question died on Rod's tongue, as he realized that perhaps Owen earned his good marks with his superior character. "Forget it," Rod said at last, "Want to go to the movies?"

A smile emerged on Owen's face. "Sure."


	3. Fifth Grade

Fifth grade was the year Owen went to summer camp. It wouldn't have been so bad, only Rod's parents wouldn't let him tag along. This was bad in both boys' perspectives, as it left Owen miserably worried about making friends.

"I'm no good at it," he mumbled to Rod, uncharacteristically upset. "I'm going to be all alone for three weeks." He sighed, placing his chin between his fists.

"Don't worry," Rod said, attempting to be reassuring rather than jealous. "You'll be fine. Just walk up to people and say 'hi I'm Owen Palmer'."

"It's not that easy," Owen replied.

"Sure it is," Rod said, grinning, "You've just got to get used to it."

"Yeah, well it might be easy for you, but not for me," Owen said.

Rod shook his head, "That's not true." He uselessly tried not to be happy that he was better than Owen at something.

Owen nodded, his blue eyes pulled downward, "Yes it is. It's okay, you don't have to tell me it's not true."

Rod contemplated his options. He could offer to help Owen, and train him in the art of charisma. However, this would leave the slight possibility that Owen would then be the most charming _and _best-looking boy in school. So Rod stayed didn't offer. He put an arm around Owen, and told him he would write every day.

Three weeks later, Owen returned. He smiled, giving his friend a quick hug as he climbed off the bus.

"How was it?" Rod asked eagerly, dying to know what had happened.

Owen shrugged, "It was fine."'

"Did you make any friends?"

Another shrug. "Nah, not really." And that was the end of that.


	4. Sixth Grade

"Owen!" Rod shouted, running down his front steps. "Are you excited?"

Owen grinned. "Yeah, are you?" Rod nodded, also smiling. It was the first day of middle school. They were finally going to get the independence that they wanted.

"I can't wait!" Rod exclaimed, jumping up and down. He was not sure why he was so enthusiastic; usually he didn't care all that much about school.

"You can't?" Owen asked, surprised.

Rod shook his head, the corners of his mouth still pulled up. "Nope. I think things are going to be different this year."

"Really?" Owen asked.

"Yeah," Rod said, "I mean, think about it. All new kids! We can make new friends!"

"I guess…" Owen said uncertainly.

They boarded the school bus, Rod still chattering happily. Owen was quieter. He didn't know what had gotten into his best friend.

"We're here!" Rod said, bounding down into the entrance of the school. "The building's nicer, don't you think?"

Owen nodded, cheering up a little. "Yeah, definitely."

"Hi Owen!"

Both boys froze in their tracks, as one of the girls from elementary school came up to them. "We have science together!" she said happily, "I can't wait!"

"Me neither?" Owen answered uncertainly, causing her to beam.

"Typical," Rod muttered, under his breath.


	5. Seventh Grade

In seventh grade, Owen had his first kiss. After much coaxing and encouraging from Rod, he'd finally gotten the courage to ask out Donna Pollack.

She was sweet, and one of the few girls who didn't completely hate Rod. He had much affection for her because of this, and could think of nothing better than the concept of her dating his best friend.

So they went out for pizza. And Rod sat at home, watching chick flicks with his mom and waiting for them to come back so he could hear about it.

They were almost at the end of _When Harry Met Sally_, when Owen rang the doorbell. "Bye mom," Rod shouted, bursting out the door. He was almost as excited as if it had been his own date.

"So? So!" he shouted, jumping up and down, "How'd it go?"

"It was… it was great actually," Owen replied, blushing as badly as ever. "She's really nice. Thanks – thanks for setting us up."

Rod shrugged. "No big deal. So, did you.. y'know!"

Owen nodded, his face nearly purple now. "We kissed."

"How was it?" Rod asked.

"Hard to describe." And that was the last he would tell about it, however much Rod ranted about his deserving to know.


	6. Eighth Grade The Dark Years: Part I

It was in eighth grade that Rod started feeling particularly horrible about himself. He had a C average in history class, no athletic talents to speak of, and no girls interested in him. Three things Owen had that he didn't. Awful.

It made it hard, sometimes. He liked Owen, he really did, but it was too painful seeing all of the things that he couldn't have for himself. So he started pushing Owen away.

They hung out less, and he often dodged Owen's calls. He felt bad about it too, because whenever they _did_ speak, Owen seemed genuinely sad about it. And then Rod started wondering about his worth as a person, as well. He knew Owen wouldn't ditch him, even if he were more talented or something stupid like that.

Every day, Rod would come home and sprawl across the couch, wallowing in self-pity over his life. He became less talkative, and lost many of his other friends too.

"Hey, are you mad at me?" Owen asked shyly, one day in early June. The year was almost over; they'd be starting high school soon.

"No, I guess not," Rod replied. He'd decided to stop caring.

"Okay then…" Owen answered, "Want to come over to my house?"

"No thanks, I have homework," Rod answered softly, strolling away. Owen continued to stare after him, wondering what had happened to his best friend.


	7. Ninth Grade The Dark Years: Part II

Months passed. Rod hadn't seen Owen in months, and was unaware that his parents had cornered Owen about what was going on with their son. Had he known, he might have found Owen just in order to apologize.

It was finally the first morning of high school. Rod's mood clung to the floor like dust, and he refused to give his less-than gorgeous smile. He wanted more than anything in the world to be someone else, someone who didn't walk away from his friends because he was too damn envious of them.

"Hi Owen," he said, his voice dull. It hardly made up for the way he treated him, but it was all Rod could manage.

Owen turned. In contrast to Rod, he looked _happier_ than Rod could ever remember seeing him. His blue eyes were pleasantly bright, and he wore a smile on his face. His expression softened when he saw Rod. "Hey… is – is everything okay?" He looked uncomfortable, and Rod felt badly. He'd never meant to put him in that kind of position.

Rod nodded, faking it as best he could. "Yeah," he said, swiftly, "What about you?"

After another few minutes of awkwardness, they settled into their old conversation patterns. Nothing had changed, as far as Owen could tell, and Rod hoped he wouldn't look any harder under the surface.


	8. Tenth Grade The Dark Years: Part III

Rod stood in front of the mirror. It had been nearly another year, and he felt no better about himself. He was still the unknown, ugly best friend to the most likeable guy in school. As much as his friendship with Owen mattered to him, it was making him hate his entire life.

But this could change it. He could put up an illusion, and change the way everyone thought about it. For the first time, _he _could be the known one. _He _could be the dateable one.

One more second… and he could be different. He could strip himself of his flaws. And so, without another moment of thought, he did.

Looking up at his perfect skin and hair, he smiled. Brand new day.


	9. Eleventh Grade

"Wait, who are you going with?" Owen asked, running a bashful hand over his hair.

"Cindy," Rod replied, grinning. "I'm taking her out to some fancy place."

"She's a senior," Owen said, his tone implying that he meant something else.

"Yeah," Rod said. Things had turned up for him, ever since he began using the illusion. Girls had started taking an interest in him, and he'd become instantaneously more popular amongst his school friends. It represented one of the sad truths of adolescence: appearance mattered. Only Owen's treatment of Rod remained unchanged.

"And who are you going with?" Rod asked, giving Owen a pat on the back. It was unusual for him to ask girls out, and Rod always applauded him when he did.

"Pam," Owen replied. He got a dreamy expression on his face, and Rod laughed. It was fun to see him losing it over a girl.

"Where are you going?"

"A movie." His expression became nervous, and he turned to Rod. "Do you think that's good enough for her?"

"I'm sure it is," Rod replied. "She's a freshman, isn't she?"

"Yeah, but she acts a lot smarter."

"Well, you just have to be sure to treat her right, then. You know, open doors, act like a gentleman."

"Oh. Okay." Owen smiled. "Thanks Rod, I don't know what I'd do without you. You know so much more about this than I do."

Rod smiled shyly, more to himself than to Owen. "Guess that's why we're best friends."

A/N: Really quickly, I'd just like to say that I'd really appreciate reviews. They help to motivate me in the production of this story. So if you like it, please review!


	10. Twelfth Grade

"This is it," Rod announced, as if it needed announcing. "Graduation…"

They sat in the chairs to the side, waiting for their names to be called. Waiting for it all to be over…

"I'm nervous," Owen confessed, almost hyperventilating.

Rod smiled. Despite this being his friend's consummate state, he never actually said it. It was nice to have it said, even if it was years later.

"Me too," Rod said. "Don't be. Just don't think about tripping, and you won't."

"Tripping?" Owen's mouth fell open. "I hadn't thought of that."

Rod laughed now, trying to do it as quietly as he could. "Oops. Sorry. Just… don't worry, okay?"

"Okay," Owen said, softly. A few more people went on stage, and then Owen said, "Hey Rod… are we going to be friends after this?"

Rod turned to him, staring at him as he thought. He wanted to be honest. "Yeah… I think we are."

"Good," Owen replied.

Rod nodded. "I think so too."

A/N: Not to be a bother… but I know that not everyone who reads this reviews, and I'd really like some reviews. They're always nice, you know? It's great to hear thoughts on your work. So anyway, this is the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed.


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